Antibiotic review 'must consider animal health too'

Prime Minister David Cameron's announcement of a review into why so few antimicrobial drugs have been introduced has led the British Veterinary Association (BVA) to call for it to be extended to animal health.

Commenting, Peter Jones, BVA Past President said:"Antibiotics are vital medicines for both human and animal health and we are working hard to safeguard their use for the future, but it is clear that we must also find ways to develop new antibiotics in veterinary medicine.

"The development pipeline for new antibiotics in both human and animal health is at an all-time low and so we welcome measures to investigate how to manage this trend."

Speaking at the Association's annual Welsh dinner in Cardiff last night, BVA President Robin Hargreaves reiterated the importance of using antimicrobials responsibly. He said:

"One of the greatest challenges to both animal and human health is the threat of antibiotic resistance, which has the potential to become a global catastrophe.

"To ensure healthy animals in the future we must ensure we safeguard veterinary medicines. And so across the country we continue to take a lead in raising awareness about the need to use these vital medicines responsibly.

"But we mustn’t simply pay lip service to the problem. BVA asks all veterinary surgeons to look at themselves to make sure that they are each playing their part and doing the right things."